\r\n\r\nHow do you market an album of slow, atmospheric tracks to a world hopped up on the internet with an ADD infected finger-trigger?\r\n\r\nYou produce a video with Shia LeBeouf’s wang.\r\n\r\nThis might be an illustrious introduction to Sigur Rós for some people, but chances are you’ve already heard them without knowing it. Vanilla Sky utilised Svefn-g-englar to help wring emotion from a rock Tom Cruise. Wes Anderson’s The Life Aquatic somehow managed to add more whimsy by getting underwater puppets to dance to Staralfur. The BBC (and presumably every other channel offering nature documentaries) used Hoppipolla whenever they could, pairing it with slow motion diving birds or seal carcasses being ripped apart by killer whales.\r\n\r\nhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IPMf8G8Pi5o\r\nThe climax of The Life Aquatic. Spoilers and suchforth can be expected.\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\nAfter that diversion to commercial pastures, let’s head back to the little thing that dragged you to read this article. The Shia Schlongtm.\r\n\r\nI mean, the music.\r\n\r\nOver the course of their last few albums they have been slowly infusing their ethereal, near glacial music with an intense poppy and rhythmic sensibility, building to a climax with Með suð í eyrum við spilum endalaust and the day-glo joy of lead singer Jonsi’s solo album. This album is instead a big throw back to their earlier work such as (). \r\n\r\nThis impossible to pronounce album coupled intense almost string-like soaring guitar lines with a partially made up language. It hits home really well because of its thematic unity, tracks seemingly knit together by a single phrase sung in a variety of ways. What sounds mournful and lost on Vaka can sound triumphant on Njósnavélin.\r\n\r\nValtari doesn’t seem to have this feeling of a common theme or identity other than everything sort of sounds the same. Homogeneous would be a word to describe it. It’s utterly beautiful to listen to for the most part, but doesn’t take you on a journey through different terrain like () does. It’s very subtle and at times it feels like the melodies have been buried under an avalanche of reverb and post-production. When it peeks out above the deadening snow you get these wonderful shafts of light and melody such as the latter half of Rembihnútur. Clicks, whirs and chimes create a delightful organic bed for Jonsi to emote over. Similarly, when the cavernous atmosphere is dropped on Varðeldur, we are left with a glittering piano piece that will have you reaching for the ‘repeat’ button.\r\n\r\nIt seems bizarre to criticise the album for its reliance on the very things that heralded their ascendance to the world from that alien planet known as Iceland, but that appears to the point I have reached. It doesn’t touch me in the same way that their previous albums have. There are less footholds to grab, so you just end up sliding down an icy wall, never reaching that awesome peak that you imagine is just above you. There appear to be less peaks and troughs (and so dynamics) in the album, but this is not down to the Loudness War or whatever you want to call the recent upwards trend of compressing the ever loving hell out your tracks. \r\n\r\nInstead, the album is content to push on with a similar tone throughout, washing over you with shimmering dunes of guitar. The aforementioned Fjögur Píanó is a truly beautiful piece and a real stand out, (with or without the slightly bizarre music video) but much of the rest of the album leaves me slightly cold. \r\n\r\nIt could be that it will grow on me – I have only had it two weeks after all. But when I scroll down to Sigur Rós to play play, there isn’t a whole lot of pull me in the direction of Valtari above the almost Sun-like gravitational yank from an album like Ágætis Byrjun, an album I have listened to an almost pornographic amount of times. Hiring Shia LeBeouf may have been a push towards gaining new fans, but the album itself may push them away.\r\n\r\nIf I were to suggest an album for a Sigur Rós virgin to tackle, I would probably suggest the fantastic Takk, from 2005. It feels like the perfect bridging point between the slow crescendos of Ágætis Byrjun and the almost tribal insistance of Með suð í eyrum við spilum endalaust.\r\n\r\nValtari is not a terrible album – far from it. It just feels like the band is coasting, on both the swathes of bowed guitars and their past success. They haven’t pushed themselves here, and it doesn’t feel as rich and layered as even smaller EP’s such as Ba Ba Ti Ki Di Do, which I feel captures such a wide variety of emotions in three short ambient tracks. What I am starting to wonder from all this is whether I’d been able to sit through the terrible Transformers 2 a little easier had a little Sigur Rós accompanied Shia LeBeouf running around futilely shouting “No no no no no no no.” The answer of course, is no. Nothing could make that film bearable, not even one of the most beautiful bands in the world.\r\n\r\nhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8i9vEBWnu9I\r\n\r\n

Your review Pete? Great job! \r\n\r\nI’ve yet to listen to the latest Sigur Rós, but I’ve enjoyed pretty much everything of theirs so far. \r\nI’d only heard of this video briefly (through my wife!) – and of course because of the schlong. Turns out, this video is quite good. \r\n\r\nI agree with many of your points regarding their past works also. I find myself always going between Takk and Ágætis when i want my fix. The others albums i tend to reserve for passive listening…\r\n\r\nI look forward to more of your reviews – or do you perhaps review for another website?

I thought the video was very good – not a whole lot of an idea about it’s meaning though! They’ve always had rather superb videos. My personal favourite has to be ‘untitled #1’ – it’s such a melancholy and evocative video that fits beautifully with the music. http://youtu.be/P0AZIFmkogY\r\nHave you seen Heima, their live film? Part documentary and part live show, it’s an engaging watch.\r\n\r\nThanks for the note by the way – I plan on doing one a week, either of a new album (when I can afford/am interested in a new release!) or a little known album that I’m a big fan of and think more people should enjoy! That was my first review, but found it very entertaining to write, so I guess I will continue. (Also nice to have a comment showing it’s actually being read!)

Yes, i was waiting for Heima to be released, and watched quite a few times the first few months. Guess it’s time to put it back into rotation! \r\n\r\nI’ve not seen many of their videos; I don’t see much of any artist’s videos really. I don’t know of an easy way to cherry pick videos I’d like to see… I end up getting a collection of vids from a DVD/BD release later, after the albums they’re associated with have been out for some time (Bjork, Peter Gabriel, etc. do a nice job of releasing their videos). \r\n\r\nLooking forward to reading the next review!

Holy cow, I love that Peter Gabriel set. The Plasticine covered one, right?\r\nI’m a bit fan of music documentaries – perhaps in one of my poor weeks I’ll recommend a few excellent films. Thanks for the idea!

Yes, that’s the one – “Play”.\r\n\r\nI’m guessing by your use of Plasticine that you’re in Europe somewhere… is Netflix available to you? There is quite the wealth of music docs they have to stream. I’ve been making my way through the “Classic Albums” selections.

Oh yes, I’m an upstanding British chappy. Netflix is available, and I used the 30 day free trial but haven’t quite plumped up the cash for it proper. Those Classic Albums documentaries are indeed amazing, BBC4 shows them every so often. Have you seen the South Bank Show episode about Peter Gabriel from the 80’s?\r\nhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BneruaJqlsY\r\nIt’s a fantastic look into how he created much of the music on Security, and all about the (then new) Fairlight sampler.\r\nWhat music documentaries would you recommend I look into?

I haven’t seen that program on PG – dated but I will definitely view it. \r\n\r\nWell, off the top of my head for music docs… Pearl Jam 20, Moog, I Am Trying to Break Your Heart, You’re Gonna Miss Me, Beyond the Lighted Stage, The Heart is a Drum Machine… There’s some anyhow. You may have seen some of them already. I’ve seen more docs that focus one artist at a time, but I’m trying to see more broad docs covering genres and styles.